24 October

Freddie Mercury recording in 1982, in Munich. I was living in Germany that year, and saw him live with Queen only a few months after this shot was taken. Sharing it here for a different reason though, it was on the tour that followed this recording that Mercury most likely contracted HIV. The only symptom was something like a bad cold. 9 years later he was dead. For about 7 of those 9 years many had no idea he was even sick. Live Aid was only 3 years after this shot, years after catching HIV. His live performances peaked in 1982, and deteriorated after that, I suspect because HIV was starting to destroy his body from the inside. Again nobody realised. It took Freddie 3-4 years to even notice. This is what chronic infection does. It’s what Covid is doing to many of the world’s population, right now. They’ll feel fine for a while, as Freddie did. Perhaps even years. Until they suddenly don’t, lots of things will start going wrong with them. And then catastrophically wrong.